Daily Driver Needs a Rule Change for 2014

[NewEnglandRaceFan]

I didn't go, and if I go next year it be as a seat warmer, watching, and maybe spinning wrenches if someone needed some help. BUT if I ever enter and get a ticket to ride, my junk will arrive on a trailor or at least a car dolly, why. I have a budget, one that needs to include other events that my wife will enjoy, and driving a car 600-1000+ to the event is extra wear and tear on my junk, Even if the vehicle in question is my daily driver all season(up here it's 8 months normally because of salted roads in the winter). Went driving it around all season if it breaks it's at most 150-200 miles away from home. and would get normal maintenance a hipo car/engine REQUIRE while in use, driving all those miles to an event only to get there and need to check and maybe replace valvesprings and check solid roller lifters is honestly STUPID. unless you have the money to burn, and if you do, I'd never fault a person for ENJOYING driving their junk to the start.. I like many others only have so much they can afford to spend and may only be able to afford one set of spare lifters, springs, and other parts that are known to need checking with wild cams..
Sorry Speedy/outsider, there is no shame towing your entry to the start even if you log thousands of miles a season on that same vehicle, YOU SEE the difference is if while cruise'n around during the season is, if it breaks you can park it until you save for the parts needed or get to work on it, Drag week, you don't get that luxury!!!!!!!!! it's fix it now, at whatever the cost. driving it to the event could cost you a few hundred to a few thousands in upkeep in consumables , over and above the crap mpg .
No idea how wild you planned on making your t-bird, but if you install a roller cam with any type of quick ramps and high lift, you WILL be replacing springs and if a solid roller, at least checking the roller lifters/valve lash daily.. a set of good solid roller lifters are 1000-2000 a set !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. not having to have 3 sets on hand is a huge help to a budget.. not everyone in this hobby is made of money.. and even if they are(god bless um) they might like to keep a little of it for other things in life than replacement parts that you wasted on a drive to an event..
That's my take.. good/bad/indifferent...
You're not at the level that you are running for brag'n rites.. That it's a year long job getting the car ready and hanging it all on the line.
You are in the classes that are ment to be a week of FUN....
And if you truly were running through the pits at 40+ you are dam lucky they didn't throw your @$$ out. They shouldn't need to post or enforce a pit speed limit as it should be common sense.. USE your brain.. You don't want to be the reason for knocking someone out of the event or sending anyone to the hospital or worse..
speedy 15-20mph in the pits TOPS!!!!!!!!!! IIRC (Brian can conferm) N.E.D. it's 10mph in the pits, go much faster than that, someone will ring your bell, if the staff doesn't warn you first then if you kept it up, take your tech card and tell you to leave..

[MoparBilly]

i'm too slow for classes too. i would look pretty silly in sb/pa with a 12.06 avg. i don't care how fast the daily drivers run. if you care, enter a class. that's what they are for. if you're not fast enough to compete, big deal! that's why you'd enter daily driver! just be like the rest of us and enjoy sharing the experience with a ton of cool people! don't try to make a class around your junk because its not as fast as the other guys junk but look down at the slower guys junk for not being in the e.t. window of "cool" junk. i say, just enjoy the hobby and worry about your own cars. i liked every single entry in DD. even old blue! .

I agree with your sentiment Eli, just not sure about the logic of it.

I'm not trying to cause trouble or stir the pot. these are just observations and questions.

The rest of my family ran classes, I ran Daily Driver. Two of them entered the tech line 20 minutes after I did, and finished tech 2 hours before I did. Last year Class cars ran first session, then DD, then an open session. This year, when they cut off DD's first session, they ran the class cars out before returning to DD, so instead of an open session it felt more like two complete rounds before opening up. So my question is this, If you have no shot at the quick 32 of DD, why not enter a class instead of staying in DD and getting treated like a 2nd class citizen? Run in the first session with your buddies, and head down the road, or stick around and watch, and you have a much better chance of 3 fast cars breaking in your class than 30 mid 11 sec to mid 12 sec cars moving off the list so you can get into DD quick 32!

Single biggest disappointment for me in DW13...I never could catch that darn "Ghost Fender"!

[JeffMcKC]

I still even after being in DD see what you guys are talking about. We where treated just as we are when the other cars are there, but it did make for a colorful excuse when we needed one. Where's our Tee shirts ??

[MoparBilly]

I still even after being in DD see what you guys are talking about. We where treated just as we are when the other cars are there, but it did make for a colorful excuse when we needed one. Where's our Tee shirts ??

Wow, Jeff is one of "The people" now! Bet Bob never saw that coming!